Mattress.



W. THOMPSON.

MATTRESS.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.22,1915.

1,227,022. I Patented May22,1917

THOMPSON, OF ENGLE, NEW MEXICO.

MATTRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22-, 1917.

Application filed September 22, 1915. Serial No. 52,108.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER THOMPSON, a'citizen of the United States, resident of Engle, in the county of Sierra and State of New Mexico, have made a certain'new and useful Invention in Mattresses; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or fi res of reference marked thereon, which orm a part of this specification.

The invention has relation to mattresses, and it consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth.

The object of the invention is to provide a mattress having a recess or opening, located preferably at one end thereof, and a removable section or plug normally fitting and sliding in said recess, the recess being.

adapted to receive a bed pan of special construction hereinafter referred to,-'in order that a patient shall not have to be lifted from the mattress, avoiding pain to the pa tient and labor for the attendant.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention, showing the bed pan, with the plug partly withdrawn and abutting against said pan to assist in holding it in position; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the mattress, with the plug removed and the bed pan in position; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the foot portion of the mattress, with the bed pan in position and the plug removed; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the mattress, reversed or bottom side up, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bed pan.

In these drawings the numeral 2 designates the mattress, having at the lower or foot end thereof the recess or opening 3, entirely open at the top and outer end. covered in at the bottom by the lower ticking 4 of the mattress proper, and having a closed inner end wall 5, usually arcuate or curved, as shown.

The removable section 6 fits neatly in the recess to complete the mattress, the top ticking of said section being in the same plane as the top ticking of the mattress and forming therewith a continuous uninterrupted top surface upon which the patlent rests.

The removable section rests upon and is supported by the lower ticking of the mattress proper forming the bottom of the recess.

When the bed pan-is to be used, the section or plug is slid outwardly sufliciently to make room, the pan being then placed at the inner end of therecess. The pan is provided with an outwardly extending top flange 8, resting upon the marginal portion of the top ticking surrounding the recess,

and with an upwardly extending guard 9 at the lower or rear end, said guard fitting between the legs of the patient and being transversely and forwardly arched, and adapted to catch fluid that would otherwise be likely to escape and soil the mattress and bedding.

, The bed pan is about eight inches in width and the recess in the mattress is of similar width. The removable section or plug is slid out about halfway or thereabout for the purpose stated and will remain in place in the recess ready to be slid back to normal position, upon removal of the pan.

The mattress is provided with a lower ticking which is in one piece and like any other ticking, so that when the mattress is reversed bottom side up, the appearance is that of an ordinary mattress. The plug is somewhat larger in cross sectional area than that of the recess in the mattress and is packed closer than the mattress, so that there will be no danger of the plug falling out of the recess upon reversal of the mattress, or when the plug is slid partly out of the recess.

It is intended that the patient shall normally rest upon the portion of the mattress above or forward of the inner end of the recess or plug, and that he shall be moved toward the foot of the bed about four inches when the pan is to be used. It is further in tended that the mattress shall serve all purposes of an ordinary mattress, being of the same degree of elasticity throughout.

In practice the slack of the lower sheet will be let down into the recess and the bed pan will be placed in position thereover, so that the lower sheet need not be removed.

I claim A reversible mattress. having a recess entirely open at the top and at its outer end and closed at its inner end, a single bottom ticking for the mattress extending across and closing said recess at the bottom, and a plug of substantially the same thickness as mattress may be handled and reversed as an that of and packed closer than is the matordinary mattress, and the slidable plug is tress, said plug fitting neatly and sliding in adapted to hold the bed-pansecurely in posaid recess, hang of an area in cross-section sition, being itself securely held.

5 greater than that of said recess, havin its In testimon whereef I affix my signature, 15

top ticking in the same plane as that 0 the in presence 0 two witnesses.

top ticking of the mattress and forming a r WALTER THOMPSON. continuous uninterrupted surface therewith Witnesses: and its bottom ticking in contact with the S. C. HILL,

10 bottom ticln'ng of the mattress, whereby the STUART mi. 

